Mobile wallet vulnerability discussed at Cartes 2012

The French Cartes 2012 conference in Paris was attended by ValidSoft, discussing the heightened risks to users of mobile phones as a payment token

Pat Carroll, CEO of ValidSoft has discussed the security risks of the mobile phone at the Cartes 2012 conference in Paris.

Since the first announcement of mobile wallet products early 2011, there has been a rush for mobile network operators, banks, phone manufacturers and retailers to join the world of near field communication (NFC) contactless and P2P payments. However, according to ValidSoft’s Mr Pat Carroll: “The rush to grab a share of the market has led to compromised security, highlighting the need for the industry to find a robust security solution.”

According to McKinsey (Global Mobile Payments Consumer Survey June 2012) by 2013, almost 50 percent of us will use mobile payments at least once a week – if not every day. And research from Gartner has predicted that the cost of cybercrime will increase by 10 percent per annum through to 2016 thanks to the rise of mobile devices and mobile-based apps.

Pat Carroll said: “I am excited to participate in Cartes and view it as an opportunity to discuss industry trends in fraud prevention and technology. Fraud prevention and identity protection are of paramount importance for any banking or financial enterprise, particularly in the realm of mobile commerce, and I look forward to sharing my insights on the latest innovations developed to combat this growing global problem.”

With more than 25 years of financial services and technological experience, Mr. Carroll founded and leads ValidSoft with the objective of preventing fraud through industry-leading authentication and transaction verification solutions. Throughout his career, Pat has been at the forefront of industry thinking, representing organizations and industry bodies and participating in industry initiatives

At the Cartes conference Mr Carroll highlighted the opportunity that mobile payments and banking provide for proximity correlation, invisible layers and voice-based authentication. He also talked about the scope for including a “trust” factor – a protected channel that is created in real time and exists only for the duration of that transaction.

“The goal should always be to make enrolment, activations and transactions safe, but at the same time not to compromise the customer experience with overly complicated secured procedures. There is a delicate balance to be met if the mobile wallet is to be a secured as well as a commercial success.”

Mr Carroll concluded: “The way to a European standard for the mobile wallet is a test of endurance rather than a sprint. The opportunities that will be generated through the development of mobile wallets are immense – it's not just a case of racing headlong in pursuit of quick market share.”